


Line without a Hook {Song Fic}

by Waifu_for_Laifu



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Unrequited Crush, reader is shy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28001310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waifu_for_Laifu/pseuds/Waifu_for_Laifu
Summary: Y/N is a shy student, but with a cat sized curiosity. Will her curiosity get the best of her when she overhears about Great King and his Kingdom? Will he even notice her in a crowd of adoring fans?
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic in this fandom! I wanted to write something short and fluffy for those who love the rush of a new crush. Might do another few chapters of this! Thanks for reading :)

It started off with an overheard conversation. You never were a sports person, let alone someone who attended the games at your school for any sport. It was loud, somewhat crowded, and to be frank, you never cared enough to learn about any of the rules so you could enjoy the game. 

The girl who sat in front of you leaned over on break and started loudly chatting to who you assume is her best friend. “Are you going to see the volleyball game tonight? I heard the great king is going to be there!”.

Her friend exhaled through her nose. “Why would that matter to me? YOU’RE the one who thinks he’s so cute”. 

“I know, but I don’t want to go alone! I won’t have the nerve to go up to him and wish him luck. I think he’s the best one on the court”.

You were paying attention to the two girls and their exchange. You were curious about this so-called “king”. Was he really all that he was cracked up to be?

“Fine, we’ll go together but you owe me next time, Chi”.

The one called Chi danced in her seat and then proceeded to gush over the King until break was over.

You spent all day imaging what this great king looked like, what made him so special. The curiosity was killing you, you had to go to the game.

You wanted to go home and get changed out of your school clothes, but you didn’t think you had the time and strangely, you didn’t want to miss anything. Going to the bathroom, you scrutinized yourself, pinching at your face and tightening your (h/c) ponytail. The new scrunchie was cute and soft but not as sturdy as you’d like for your hair.

_Would you love me the same?_

You grabbed your bag and rushed out of the bathroom, heading to the gym. Your thoughts were facing, trying to mentally prepare yourself for every possible outcome, including the most likely outcome of you leaving the game bored.

You were wrong.

When you got into the gym, you had a moment of internal panic. There were a large amount of people here, and it was overwhelming. You really weren’t as prepared as you had hoped you’d be. Finding a seat in the back of the bleachers, you steeled yourself and waited for the King to appear.

Had their not been a large uproar when he had entered, you wouldn’t have even known it was him to begin with. To you, he was cute, but just a regular high schooler. He wasn’t as royal as you had assumed but he was indeed captivating. You watched him greet his cheering fans and beam his 100-watt smile and the entire time, you never stopped watching him.

_I can feel all my bones coming back and I'm craving motion_

How did he manage to engross you so much? You even lost track of time watching him and only realized how long it had been once he gets in his spot on the court.

He was incredible. “This is why they call him the King huh?” you mumbled to no one. He could calculate every single move, it was as if he was psychic. Even at points in the game when his team was no longer in the lead, he never really showed anyone he was bothered. Always smiling, and always sharp. You had to keep track of your breathing, you were afraid you’d stop once you weren’t paying attention again. Your skin was flushed on the cheeks, and you were starting to sweat.

“What the hell is wrong with me? He’s just a guy”. You were trying to bring yourself back into reality but something about him, made you finally resonate with the girl from class. 

_it’s a curse and it’s growing_

You watched the game with wonder, even while knowing nothing about what the players were doing or even his team’s name, but you watched.

The game felt so short, a moment in time, and not hours. You watched him get in line to shake hands and you feel your legs starting to shake. Battling your instincts, you moved to stand up when he headed back to speak to his fans. Your legs felt like they’d fall out from under you but still, you persisted. Once you had gotten to him, you heard everyone around him congratulate his winning point, but you didn’t speak.

He noticed. He noticed the shy, quiet girl standing among the riled up crowd and turned to face her. “Hi there, little cutie, i’m Tooru Oikawa. It’s always a pleasure to meet my fans. What’s your name?”.

The noise and sound around you silenced. You could only hear his voice and a soft buzzing noise. If you were concerned about your breathing before, you certainly weren’t breathing now. Mouth slightly open, you took a beat and said. “I’m Y/N, this is my first game.”

Oikawa smirked and looked you dead in the eyes. “Did you come to see me, Y/N?”.

You managed a nod and he turned back towards the entire group. “Sorry ladies, I have to go for now but I hope to see you all soon!”. Girls groaned and sighed loudly and started to pack up and leave but you didn’t move. Oikawa was walking away, back to you and the thing holding your vocal chords hostage finally let go. “W-Wait!” Your voice cracked but you were finally able to get a word out.

Oikawa turned around, curious. You hastily grabbed the black velvet scrunchie from your hair and scrambled over to him. “I’m not sure why but I want you to h-have this!”. Oikawa reached out and gently grazed your hand, taking the offering from you.

“Thanks, Y/N. I hope to see you soon”. Oikawa continued out of the gym, and you’re still stuck in place. “Why am I acting like this? He’s just a guy”. Shaking your head, you corrected yourself.

_he’s a king, and I’m just a line without a hook_

Oikawa slipped the scrunchie on his wrist when he had a moment to sit down, away from the prying eyes of his teammates. Admiring it, he rotated his arm back and forth, just to deduce how this new fan ticked. He carefully raised his wrist to his nose and inhaled.

“Strawberries. Y/N smells like strawberries”. 


	2. Chapter 2

You’ve been completely done in. Rational thought escaped you for the weeks that followed the match where the great king played. You replayed the game over and over in your head, but never seemed to remember any new details about any of the other players in the match. He was captivating and you needed to see him again.

This wasn’t like you, to be so throughly flustered and by a guy you spoke less than a paragraph to. Your thoughts wandered to his smile and you spiraled again, stuck in your daydream train of thought. While you only casually listened in on conversations of your classmates at Karasuno before, now you were in full spy mode. 

You were able to gather from hallway and classroom gossip that Oikawa Tooru played for Aoba Josai, and his role was the setter. Granted, you hadn’t learned any more about the position than you knew before that game, but he looked incredible no matter what he was doing. Yes, Oikawa was cute, but that wasn’t what caught your eye on first impression. It was his sheer love and talent for this game, he made it look so easy.

Your one goal was to overhear the next game. Most normal people would ask their friends or go up to a player and ask, but you didn’t have a close enough relationship with anyone in your class and it would be painfully awkward. Luck shined down on you that Thursday. Chi, your loud but informative classmate, was going on again to her severely unimpressed friend.

“I don’t care, Chi, I’m not going to a game that isn’t at this school.”

“Come on” Chi dragged out with a whine that made you cringe. “I need to see Oikawa again tomorrow, Sayu!”

“Go by yourself then. Shiratorizawa Academy isn’t that far from you and I don’t need to mop up your drool again”

Chi leaned over in her seat, pouting for dramatic effect. “Fine then, suit yourself, you’ll be sorry when Oikawa finally notices me and I don’t have time for you anymore”

You had to hold back a chuckle, it wouldn’t have looked good if you were caught, even if Chi was yelling her words loud enough for neighboring classes to hear. She once again came through for you. Never had you imagined that having the loudest fangirl in your class would later be beneficial.

It bothered you though. You didn’t want to admit it, but she bothered you. Why did she bother you now at all times? How are you jealous over a guy you barely know? Mind reeling, you threw yourself into your classwork, keeping yourself distracted from the King. 

You walked home alone, it left you with space to think and mull over your ideas for tomorrow. It helped to pre-plan your schedule and potential conversations with people before a social event. You were convinced that rehearsing a conversation before it happened would make it easier to have once the time came.

It did not.

If time could move both fast and slow at the same time, it was. You couldn’t help but look at your phone or at the clock every 15 minutes, trying to speed through the day. You had planned on leaving school as soon as you were free, allowing you to get changed into something more you and make the trek to Shiratorizawa.

Standing in front of the mirror, you carefully recited for the 50th time what you planned to say to the Great King today and you would NOT feel stupid this time. Going with something more relaxed but stylish, the only thing you felt was missing about your outfit, was a scrunchie.

Your favorite scrunchie, the one that matched everything, resided with Oikawa. You weren’t even sure if he kept it, he probably gets gifts from girls like Chi all the time. He must be running out of shelf space anyway. Rifling through your dresser, you dug out a deep blue velvet scrunchie instead. This should make do, even if it doesn’t perfectly fit the outfit you were going with. “Let’s not give this one away” you grumbled to yourself as you tied it around your ponytail.

You jogged to the match, unable to repress the excitement bubbling in your stomach and the buzzing in your legs. This is crazy, you don’t even like volleyball yet but you felt like throwing up from the thrill of it all.

You didn’t like volleyball but you liked him

Finding a seat among the other Oikawa fangirls, you felt both out of place and where you belonged at the same time. At this point, I guess you were his fangirl. You gave him your scrunchie for God’s sake but were you really just like the rest of them? Probably, Oikawa probably can’t tell any of them apart.

When Oikawa walked in, everyone around you stood up and cheered, yelling and screaming kind words and exclamations of love and all the while, the King smiled and waved. He looked like he was in pure bliss, this is what he wanted to do, and he loved being here. It was intoxicating.

The match was not going how you expected. Shiratorizawa was squashing Aoba Josai like they had no skill to begin with and you could feel your spirts souring. You were stunned. How was there a team with more skill that Oikawa? He was the Great King right?

“You’re being stupid, you’ve only seen one game remember? What would you even know about skill?” You silently chastised yourself. 

Oikawa was sweating, both physically and mentally, he was really giving his all to win this match and nothing he did was enough. Ushijima stared him right in the face and showed him who’s the real talent in the prefecture. But Oikawa smiled, beaming at his cheering fans. “I won’t let them down, I want to make them proud of me, even if we don’t succeed today”

Oikawa persisted, but it wasn’t enough. The game was lost and he felt the pit in his chest grow. He had to be the best, and today, he was not. He made his way through the sportmanship line and hesitantly made him way to the bleachers where his fanclub had set up camp, including you. He took a beat to breathe before he turned on his persona for his adoring crowd.

It hurt him to let his fans down, but it hurt worse to let himself down. He was his own worst critic. “I’m sorry ladies, I promise to do better next time!”. The group chattered various reassuring words and mixed in jabs about Shiratorizawa in the process. Oikawa was listening intently but stopped when he locked eyes with you, the only person not speaking in the crowd.

Oikawa took careful steps over to you and you looked up at his towering figure above you. You were shaking and hoped to he couldn’t tell. “Y/N, you came back to see me?” He smirked, and it ignited sparks in your chest, and you absently grabbed at it before letting go of your top, praying that he didn’t notice.

You’re gorgeous, Oikawa Tooru, i’ll have to give you that.

“Yeah...I wanted to see more of the sport and any game with you is worth watching” you quickly spat while completely lost in his gaze. “You’re amazing, Oikawa”

Oikawa laughed and you wanted to run, far far away from him and this gym. The feelings were going to kill you. You would have followed him off the face of the earth if he asked. “So do you like volleyball or just me?”.

The lump that had made its way into your throat didn’t move and your mouth was still parted, waiting for the words to come out. You practiced damnit, why was this so difficult? 

“I-I suppose it’s both”.

Oikawa leaned down towards you and the fanclub glowered behind him, jealousy radiating. If you wanted to run before, now you were ready to move to another country. “You suppose? Have you given any of the other players your things?” His smirk grew wider and you screamed in your mind, trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably.

“N-no but it’s just a scrunchie. Nothing special” you waved your hand, trying to dismiss your eager yet not thought out move from before.

“I beg to differ, Y/N, but we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one.” 

A teammate was waving and yelling, trying to get Oikawa’s attention and he sighed. “I have to go, but I hope to see you at my next game, Y/N, it never hurts to have a little cutie in the crowd who can’t keep their eyes off me”. Oikawa turned and started to head down the stairs.

He knew, he knew you were staring at him the entire game. You started wringing your hands and looking down at your feet, and the sudden burst of bravery kicked in, better late than never.

“Did you keep it?” You half-shouted, but after the words left your mouth, you were now afraid of the answer. This could hurt you, and time froze. So much for being ready for anything huh?

Oikawa didn’t stop moving this time, still making his move down the stairs. “Yeah, I did actually....I happen to love strawberries”. He looked back in your direction and winked.

You’re falling, and there’s nothing to break your fall, but you can’t help but smile wider than you have in a very long time. 

“When can I see him again?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really surprised by the overwhelming amount of support so I decided to make this a smaller fic instead of a one shot! Trying to do Oikawa justice but i’m way out of practice on fic writing so bear with me. 
> 
> I appreciate you all and I hope to write another chapter soon! If you have anything you wanna see, comment and i’ll see what I can do :)


	3. Chapter 3

-Oikawa’s POV-

“I can’t stop thinking about her. I do all that I can to push her face from my mind during the waking hours but then she appears when I sleep. Watching, smiling, nervous, and I’m captivated. I’ve had beautiful fans throughout my entire volleyball career with Aoba Josai but she was different.” His inner monologue going at a mile a minute

She didn’t make a big deal about herself, in fact, I think if she could turn invisible to watch me, she would. But she was beautiful, and I’d prefer to see her glowing from across the court. Her gaze on me. 

“I need to see her, again, without being pulled away by Iwa-chan and away from all the other fangirls but I don’t know anything other than her name. Shit”

Tooru scribbled his ideas down on paper, various ways to go about finding her or seeing her before the next match. Some were simple like trying to search her online or hanging around local stores in hopes that she’d appear. Some of the ideas he had scrawled were outright terrible, like going to every school with an associated volleyball team and wandering the halls asking for her like a lovesick puppy. He shook his head when he re-read the concept, a spark of inspiration hit.

“You know, there might actually be something there with that one...”

He wrote down the two schools he played against so far. Shiratorizawa and Karasuno. 

“She must go to one of these schools, but something tells me she’s from Karasuno. That was her first game, and I doubt she traveled to see me the first time.” 

Oikawa was mumbling out loud to himself with headphones on, sitting alone in the darkness of his room, the only illumination was the TV playing clips from his last match. He should be focusing on his plays from the game and analyzing how to play better but this mystery was more tantalizing. 

He was distracted, this was unlike him. Volleyball was his dream...but now his dreams featured you. 

“I’m screwed aren’t I?” 

He absentmindedly twisted the scrunchie around his wrist, bringing it up to his nose for a sniff. Tooru wore it around his home, and in his off-time away from his team. He was trying to hide his feelings, to explain them out loud would be stupid and Iwa-chan would mock him. Oikawa knew this was foolish but he couldn’t seem to let her go. She was special.

He inhaled your smell and laid back on the floor, lost in your everything and gave up on trying to do anything related to volleyball tonight. Oikawa was smitten, and he knew you were too. He smiled at his thoughts and closed his eyes.

“I hope to see you again, my Y/N. Next time, we’ll be sharing a lot more than sentences” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I was trying to chart out how I want this story to go and if I wanted to increase the rating on it for later parts ;) Hopefully I’m able to update again sometime this week! Happy holidays :)


	4. Chapter 4

The game was only a few days ago but you couldn’t think about anything else...or anyone else honestly. Oikawa may have lost but in your eyes, he was nothing but a winner and a true king of the court.

You kept cycling. Part of you stuck on the idea of you and Oikawa going on a date or even becoming his girlfriend, the other part sure that you were nothing but a blip on his radar and would never amount to anything but a fan. You wanted to hope you were more, but in the end you always ended your train of thought as “i’m just a line without a hook, and he doesn’t think of me as much as I do of him” 

As soon as class was dismissed, you rose to your feet and shuffled with the crowd out the door. School wasn’t your favorite place to be but you did rather well in your classes even if most of your mind was preoccupied. Still lost in thought, you walked straight into Chi’s back and she yelped out in surprise.

“S-sorry! I wasn’t paying attention” you apologized while waving your hands empathically. 

Chi turned around and flashed a smile at you and made you feel relieved with just an expression. “It’s totally okay! I was distracted and stopped in your way. I couldn’t help it!” She grabbed at her neck and rubbed.

“The king makes me act like an idiot”

You looked over and spotted him through the crowd. He radiated this light that dazzled you no matter where he was, you could always find him in the crowd. A grin was creeping across your face. You didn’t expect to see him outside of the court. After a beat, you realized you hadn’t responded to her yet and your face gave Chi enough cue to sneer. She just made the connection of who you were. Competition.

“It’s okay, I can see why that would be.” You were slowly leaning towards the right to stare at him, looking past her and stupefied once again. Maybe at some point, you’ll be able to _not_ act like a moron in his presence but that doesn’t seem to be today.

Chi watched you make eyes at Tooru and turned on her heel and headed straight for him. Bile rose in your throat. How could you feel this way about him when he wasn’t even yours to have? You felt sick to your stomach and followed suit behind her. At the very least, you could listen to their chatter and figure out where he stood with his number one fan.

Chi was cute. She was tall, with a slender, athletic body, and luscious soft brown locks. Chi was beautiful and everyone around her knew it. Your guess was that Oikawa knew it too. 

“I want to stand a chance. I want to be the girl that makes you feel sick when other guys talk to me. I want to be yours”. You mumbled to yourself as you pushed through the people and arrived at the tiny cluster of girls around Oikawa and started to eavesdrop.

Tooru chuckled and waved his hand at the showed of compliments and proclamations from the girls trying to get his number. It wasn’t every day that the great king appeared at Kurasuno. In fact, _why_ was he here in the first place? There was no way you would have made it through the school day without hearing about a game taking place tonight.

“Sorry ladies, but i’m here on a mission today. Would any of you know where to find (L/N) (Y/N)?”

That’s your name. That’s your name leaving his lips. The king is here and he’s looking for you. 

“Raise your hand, come on, say something! Anything!”

You didn’t get to finish floundering. Oikawa saw you and pushed through all the girls, literally, and grabbed you by the wrist. He yelled “run with me” as he dragged you stumbling out the front doors of the school. 

The angry mob started pursuit while you tried miserably to keep up with Oikawa. He was way too fast and you were caught off-guard. 

He rounded a corner and ducked into the alley. Pushing you up against the wall, he covered you with his body and waited for the squad to pass by.

You wished they would never stop chasing you if it meant you got to be under Tooru for the rest of your days. You looked up to see him making direct eye contact with you, a smirk across his gorgeous face. The urge to close the gap and kiss him was so strong, you could reach out and touch his soft lips if you had wanted. You did want, but you resisted the temptation. 

Your eyes broke contact when a soft caress of velvet touched your cheek. Following the location with your eyes, you saw it. The scrunchie. He’s wearing it. He’s wearing your scrunchie and came to your school looking for you.

If today were a dream, maybe staying asleep would be best.

You reached out to touch it tentatively and he watched you do so. When you tugged on the black fabric, he slowly moved his hand onto your cheek, turning beet red under his calloused hands.

“Now that i’ve got you where I want you, (Y/N), give me your number and go on a date with me”.

You would have given him the world, but your number was a great start. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to make this slow burn but not so slow it’s painful for everyone! I’m interested in making this fic a bit..smutty down the road but I’m bot sure. Comment your thoughts! I can keep it T if readers prefer it. Much love to all my wonderful readers!! <3


	5. Chapter 5

“Give me your phone”. You were trying your best to not let your voice crack and reveal how you’ve daydreamed about this moment since the first time you saw him. 

Oikawa smirked down at you like the Chesire Cat while reaching in his back pocket, snaking a few fingers around the device and placed it in your hand, fingers brushing for only a moment.

“This is heaven” you thought to yourself. “This is heaven and I died yesterday”. Oikawa looked back into your eyes and you could have sworn he was reading your thoughts. Breaking the gaze after a long pause, you navigated through his phone and added your number in but left the name blank.

Oikawa waited for you to stop typing and quickly snatched back his phone. “Well now....what should your name be?”

Did he forget you already? Sneering visibly stopped him in his tracks. 

“Not like that, little cutie, I know your name.” He exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him. “(Y/N) (Y/N) (Y/N)”. Tooru was chanting your name and no one was around to bear witness.

“Then what _did_ you mean?”. 

“I want to put a nickname in that suits you. I think i’m going to go with....Strawberry”

Your face flushed to match.

“W-why strawberry?”

Oikawa leaned forward until your nose was almost brushing against his. “Because your hair smells like strawberries, and I happen to like them quite a bit”

“O-oh, okay I-“. You scrambled for words, looking askance and at any landmark that wasn’t his face. He could probably hear your weakness but did he have to see it reflected in your eyes too?

“Relax, I’m just playing with you. I’ll text you tonight and we can set up a date. Maybe dinner?” Tooru spoke with a slow cadence and emphasizing every few words. “Or we could watch a movie at home?”

You called upon the powers at be, hoping that you could make it through this encounter without looking even dumber and more insane than you already have the last 2 times you met the Great King.

“Either sounds g-great. You can decide.” You started inching down the wall, hoping to scoot around him and make a B line for home, or a store to hide in.

Feeling your anxiety, Oikawa finished toying with you, like a cat with a trapped mouse. “I have to go back to practice, but we’ll be in touch, my Strawberry”

Tooru casually backed up and walked out of the alley, not phased by getting a phone number or anything that just happened. 

The King was used to this level of attention, and for good reason, he really was the single most gorgeous person you had ever had the pleasure of viewing and he just said “my”. You belonged to him already. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to make this chapter include the date but that would go against the “slow” in slow burn eh? I appreciate all the wonderful comments and it’s why I keep writing


	6. Chapter 6

You made the short but safe trip home, still reeling over the events from the alley. It was hard to believe that Tooru came all the way to your school just for your number. Your thoughts harped on this loop instead of the more terrifying one that was convinced this was a long con and that he wouldn’t even text you in the first place.

Had you been paying more attention to your surroundings and not the smell of Oikawa’s cologne, you would have noticed you were being watched. Chi had followed you both when you had run out of the grounds and hide from the crowd, her jealously souring the air around here. How dare you? Chi had been Oikawa’s fan all along and you were just the “flavor of the week” but yet, he was pinning you up against the wall and not her. She was pissed.

Chi followed the scene until you were headed in the direction of home before turning into a side street, not wanting to be discovered.

—————————-

You were working away at the day’s homework, headphones in your ears and chewing on the top of your pencil with care. You weren’t sure if it was the homeowork stressing you out or the King. Every 5 minutes or so, you’d look down at your phone and check for notifications. You felt the wind come out of your sails bit by bit, every time you checked with no messages. He wasn’t going to text you, he was just fooling around.

It was getting late and as you scooped your books up to shift them off of your bed, your phone beeped. Scrambling, you tossed everything promptly on your floor before preparing yourself.

UKNOWN  
Hi, my strawberry~ were you thinking about me?

Bile rose in your throat and your eyes had gone blurry. This was far too overwhelming and you were already exhausted from the earlier encounter. It was too much Oikawa in one day for your poor heart. You had to reply, you wanted to take your mind and make him wait for you but when you looked down, your fingers were already midway through a response.

YOU  
Maybe. You’re up late for a school night.

  
UNKNOWN  
I had late practice but I couldn’t possibly sleep without asking my little cutie on a date. What are you doing tomorrow night?

YOU  
Going on a date with you perhaps? But where would we be going?

The demon of flirtation crawled through your mind and into your fingers. Text gave you the ability to proofread your words and methodically plot out a response. You were much cooler through the phone than you were in real life. You weren’t even thinking too hard, typing pithy replies without more than a moment’s consideration.

UNKNOWN  
Why don’t I plan out something very special for my strawberry? Give me some time to think things out. Be ready by 5, and i’ll need your address. 

YOU  
I’ll be ready. My address is...

You gave him the address and some helpful hints for landmarks in case he got lost and finally set your phone down. Your hand was cramped up from squeezing on it too tightly, panic stricken but still managing a conversation. You got yourself ready for bed and when you returned to your room, your phone was blinking.

UNKNOWN  
I can’t wait to see you~sweet dreams.

It took an act of sheer self discipline to not reply. You didn’t want to ruin the near perfect chain of dialogue between the two of you. You didn’t stutter once and didn’t look like a clumsy fool either and taking another risk was not on the books. You did take a moment to add Oikawa’s number into your phone, the nickname already supplied by his fanclub.

The Great King 👑

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment first date ideas for me! I have a few on mind but I take requests too :3


	7. Chapter 7

Time stopped feeling linear the moment you laid down to go to sleep and didn’t resume its normal flow when you woke up. Your date with Oikawa was today and you needed to nail this. You’ll never get another chance to make a perfect first date with your crush. He probably had a lot more experience in this area of his personal life than you did. You had never been on a date before.

The morning was spent cleaning your house and helping your mother with chores. Normally you’d be hesitant to volunteer to do extra chores but you needed something physical to keep your mind on instead of the building anxiety in the pit of your stomach.

You wrapped up cleaning the kitchen around 4PM to give yourself time to get ready. Rushing through your shower, you needed as much time as possible to curate an outfit. Sitting in a towel on the floor, you searched through piles of clothes, hoping something would jump out and scream “pick me!” but you weren’t going to get lucky twice in one week. 

Rifling through a stack of sweaters, you paused when you uncovered a pink sweater with a strawberry milk container printed on it. What if you dressed to match your nickname? Would he notice?

Grasping at the fabric, you pulled it out of the pile and set it aside. It was late spring and warm enough for a multitude of bottom options but something about this screamed skirt. You wore a skirt every day as part of your uniform and felt more comfortable in them than the jeans and leggings you had laying around your closet and floor. A simple black skirt? Perfect.

You hunted around the room, searching for the skirt in question. You searched through every pile twice before finding it. Your nerves were showing and your senses were taking the hit.

Glancing over at the clock, you noted you only had 15 minutes before Tooru was expected to arrive and you had no grasp on his timeliness. Quickly getting dressed, you stood in front of the mirror in your room, stuck again. “What am I going to do about my hair?”

You pulled out a large box full of hair accessories, hoping something would jump out at you. There were clips, pins, ribbons, and scruchies scattered with no organizational system inside. After moving around the layers of stuff, keeping your eyes peeled, there it was. A pink silk scrunchie with strawberries printed on it. If he didn’t notice the top, he would almost certainly notice this.

Pulling your (H/C) hair back, you decided on a simple updo, pulling your long hair in front into a small ponytail that sat upon the loose hair in the back. Pulling two tendrils out to frame your face in the front, you dusted yourself off and did a half turn. It wasn’t much but it would do for now. Had you not been so excited and wound up over the idea of a date, you could have put more thought into what you were wearing.

Picking up a small clear tube of lip gloss, you gently applied it to your lips and threw it into your purse, along with your cell phone, wallet, and whatever various trash that had since accumulated since the last time you dumped your purse out and cleaned it. 

While you were thumbing through your purse, trying to analyze if you had everything you needed, the doorbell rang and the urge to pretend you weren’t home rushed to the forefront of your mind. “I could hide in the closet. Pretend I forgot?” 

You shook your head and slowly made your way to the door, using the extra seconds to brace yourself. Reaching for the gold door handle, you took one last deep breath, and turned it.

The sun that was hanging low in the sky made for the perfect illumination for him. If he looked any more angelic, he would belong in a story book. Oikawa was grinning before you had even opened the door and it only got wider when he saw you. “Yahoo, look at my little cutie. You get more beautiful every time I see you. Are you ready?”

Still squeezing the handle of the door like a stress ball, you bashfully nodded. You had to let go of the door to get your shoes from beside it. Crouching down to slide into small black heels with a tiny ankle strap, you fastened them and stood back up with care. You were out of practice on heels. The last time you wore them, you vaguely remembered being weak and deer like, trying to maintain a mature image at a family wedding. Hopefully this time, you’d look more graceful.

“Let me grab my purse and we can go.” Of course you had forgot it, you were so wired that you had moved to the front door on autopilot. Leaving Tooru leaning against your door frame, you retreated back to your room and grabbed the purse where you had left it, teetering on the edge of the bed. Tooru watched you leave and enjoyed the sight, waiting for you to turn around so he could really take you in. This wasn’t the first time he had seen you in a skirt, but the heels were. Maybe it won’t be the last time.

You returned to the door almost as quick as you had when you left it. “I’m ready, let’s go.” You turned the locks on the door while Oikawa slowly backed up enough to give you room to exit. You grabbed the door handle and backed out into your front porch, twisting the handle to ensure it was locked. You were happy to fixate on your surroundings instead of him for the time being, you wanted to stare and take him in all night, but that would seem creepy and you couldn’t handle the sheer excitement that rose inside you when you saw him.

You turned to face him and smiled softly. “So King, you never did tell me where we were going on a date.”. Oikawa chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s a surprise. We can head there now.”. Tooru reached out his hand, offering to take yours. You panicked but couldn’t stop your hand from automatically reaching out and taking his. Your heart was soaring, or maybe falling off a cliff, they both felt the same didn’t they?

Your walk side by side felt comforting, picturesque. The silence felt safe. Tooru squeezed your hand and started to speak.

“I can’t stop thinking about you, Strawbery. You’re making volleyball hard to focus on.”

You froze for a second. You were taking him away from his hobby. “I’m sorry...” your voice soft and with the slight wobble of pressure to say the right things.

Tooru laughed “It’s not a bad thing, I spend a lot of time on volleyball, I could use a break sometimes...”

Hiding how surprised you were by this conversation, you wanted it to keep going. Learn as much about him as he’ll let you. The King was elusive and while the rumors had been rampant, what was actually known about the inner workings of Tooru Oikawa was few and far between.

“So does that mean you don’t get out much? I thought volleyball was everything to you?”

Oikawa exhaled through his nose, guiding you to turn down another street. “It is everything, and it’s still my dream, but perhaps there could be room for other things.” He took a pause, and you chose not to fill it with words, giving him time to continue.

“I know you’re aware of my fanclub, and what that comes with. Gifts, snacks, phone numbers, but they don’t mean much. The girls chase me around, begging for my attention, but it’s tiring. Don’t get me wrong, I love that I have a fanclub and the fans mean a lot to me, but they only know The Great King, and i’m not so sure they would like me.”

You were looking down at your feet, you didn’t want to say the wrong thing and taint this pure moment of honesty. After a beat, you decided to comment. “Why wouldn’t they like you? You’re amazing, and you light up any room you’re in. It’s a gift to be speaking to you. The Great King may be a nickname, but it comes from how great you truly are and appear to be. I want to know both sides of you”. Shit. Words came out too fast and you were gushing about him TO him. 

Oikawa squeezed your hand again. “That’s why you’re here and they’re not. You’re different than the rest of the girls. I could see it from the first time you came to one of my games. Your eyes, you yearn to know. To understand. So now I’m going to show you. We’re almost there, just a few more minutes”

You casually reached up with your free hand and rubbed at your chest but it didn’t alleviate how you were feeling. He really did pick you, and it wasn’t something he did often. You were special to him.

Oikawa kept leading you down to your destination, opting to go down a slightly worn dirt road. It was hard to walk without stumbling but the anxiety kept you hyper alert to your footsteps and you managed to look outwardly cool. 

“Here we are! Sorry for the lengthy trip, but I thought it would be good to be away from prying eyes.” 

You were at a small plot of land at the end of a dirt road. It was lush, speckled with flowers and a few trees for cover from the sunlight, and completely isolated. The rest of the surrounding land was completely wooded. There would be no one around to overhear your conversation.

Oikawa looked you up and down, taking in your stunned reaction to where you were. He stopped his gaze onto your shoes and laughed. “It might be a struggle to get down to our spot in those. Can I carry you?”

You instinctively reached up to cover your mouth and part of your face, poorly hiding the blush rising across your cheeks. “S-sure. Thank you”.

Oikawa let go of your hand and you already missed his touch. He approached you, getting as close as he could and reached down to put his arm behind your knees and one behind your back. Oikawa lifted you and carried you like a bride down the small hill at the opening of the plot and headed down towards the end of the expanse. You wrapped your arms around his neck for stability, clinging to him and nuzzled softly under his chin.

Tooru carried you as if you weighed almost nothing, the strength training he did for volleyball paying off. Once he got to the back tree line, he gently set you down on your feet. “Alright, almost ready.” Tooru walked behind a tree and you tilted your head to watch him. What on earth was he doing? 

Oikawa reappeared with a basket and a bundle under his arm. Setting the basket down, he untucked the bundle and shook it out into the air. The large fleece blanket unfurled and he slowly set it down on the grass. 

“There ya go. Have a seat, little cutie”. You reached behind and brushed your skirt, making sure it was still in place from being carried and sat down on the left side of the blanket. You tucked your legs under your body and looked up, watching Oikawa carefully. 

Oikawa set the basket down in the middle of the blanket and took his seat on the right side. “Now we can get started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I wanted to really do this fic justice so I took a few weeks to mull over the plot direction and where I wanted this to go!


End file.
